Fall 2011 - H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems ...

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6 Industrial & Systems Engineering Taking Georgia Tech from Excellence to Preeminence G. P. “Bud” Peterson, president of Georgia Tech, arrived in April 2009. He was followed by Rafael L. Bras, who became provost in September 2010. Gary May, dean of the College of Engineering, and Jane Ammons, the H. Milton and Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair at ISyE, both started their new duties on July 1, 2011. From their diverse backgrounds, these Georgia Tech leaders are crafting a vision of the future. Looking forward, they are envisioning exciting possibilities and enlisting others in a shared view to lead Georgia Tech from excellence to preeminence. The four recently shared their thoughts on Tech’s path forward. There is a lot of discussion regarding the “Grand Challenges for Engineering” for the twenty-first century—some of which are health, clean energy, national security, and education and lifelong learning. What is Georgia Tech’s role in meeting these challenges Peterson: We believe that over the next twenty-five years, many of the world’s most critical problems will be solved at research and educational institutions like Georgia Tech. We’re already working on breakthroughs in a number of fields. Bras: Our tradition is not only to create knowledge but also to use that knowledge for the betterment of society. The Georgia Tech Strategic Plan states: “Georgia Tech has accepted the challenge to create the conditions that lead to solving critical global problems. Rather than settle for incremental steps forward, we have set forth a course to facilitate bold and deliberate contributions to human progress.” May: As the proprietor of the largest, most diverse, and one of the best engineering programs in the nation, it is incumbent upon Georgia Tech to be a leader in creating solutions and empowering students to meet societal challenges. The “Grand Challenges” are so named because they will require significant time, effort, and resources by a variety of constituencies to resolve them. Ammons: Georgia Tech faculty, students, and alumni are creative, bold, solution-driven leaders when addressing the complex grand challenges of today. ISyE leaders are particularly equipped with holistic systems thinking approaches. Their success and impacts to date make us optimistic as we cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. How can we help stimulate future collaborations of engineers with social scientists, industry, government, business, and other friends of the Institute to address complex societal issues Peterson: Tech has a long track record of creating collaborative partnerships with government, business, and industry, and we must continue. New interdisciplinary fields are emerging that span technology, science, policy, business, law, and the arts. Our success will depend on our ability to utilize science and technology to build on our history of excellence and shape our future.
Ammons: We celebrate the many ways that ISyE faculty, students, and alumni have collaborated with our disciplinary partners as well as business, government, and not-for-profit organizations to improve complex societal issues. Examples include our need for national economic competitiveness in manufacturing and supply chain engineering, our critical healthcare delivery systems, important environmental and sustainability thrusts, and humanitarian logistics and disaster relief. We will stimulate future collaborations by building on these successes and developing our students as leaders with systems thinking and collaborative mindsets. How do we leverage our state and national leadership roles to advance our global aspirations Peterson: During the past two decades, Tech has grown into a globalized university, with partnerships in more than thirty countries and campuses and operations in France, Ireland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, and China. Our Logistics Innovation and Research Center established last year in Panama, and the new Trade and Logistics Innovation Center in Mexico are prime examples of how we have leveraged our leadership and partnered internationally on projects that will benefit several countries, including the United States. Bras: Tech is already a global university. The Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings place Tech tenth among the world engineering and technology universities. More than 40 percent of our undergraduate students have an international experience, far more than most competitors. Through the prominent leadership roles of many among our faculty and our globalization efforts, we are in a unique position to propel our reputation for excellence to a new, very high level. May: During the last two decades, the College of Engineering has played a leadership role in establishing Tech’s global reputation. Not only do these activities better prepare our graduates for an increasingly “flatter” world, but they also allow the university to have better access to international student and faculty talent, to partner more seamlessly with multinational corporations, and to continue to build its brand. Taking Georgia Tech from Excellence to Preeminence What can be done to heighten interest in engineering and science education and research to increase the visibility and importance of these areas to society Bras: First we need to articulate the excitement of the creative nature of science and engineering, the value we bring to society as knowledge and wealth creators and drivers of progress, our role as providers of solutions to societal problems, and our capacity to transform and preserve life. Second, we must continue outreach efforts to K-12 education—that leaky pipeline must be fixed. And third, we must plug our own leaky pipeline by improving the delivery of our education, making it exciting, rewarding, and fun. Technology can help in that task. May: Research shows that the general public still has a poor understanding of what engineers do. Data suggest that the public believes engineers are not as engaged with societal and community concerns as scientists or as likely to play a role in saving lives. When judging the relative prestige of professions, people tend to place engineering below medicine, nursing, science, or teaching. As engineers, we clearly have a vested personal interest in more people having an accurate and positive impression of engineering. In addition, a better understanding of engineering would encourage students—particularly women and underrepresented minorities—to pursue engineering careers. A consistent effort by the College of Engineering and its constituents can create positive momentum toward making engineering more appealing and better understood by students, educators, parents, policymakers, and society at large. Peterson: Einstein once said that in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. I believe we’re experiencing this now as our nation and our state look for answers to growing globalization, the need for stronger domestic manufacturing, the need for innovation and getting those innovations to the marketplace to help create a stronger economy and more jobs, and the need to prepare the workforce for the future. Georgia Tech has a seat at the table for President Obama’s new Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. Georgia Tech is a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and is involved in four of the five “Race to the Top” projects recently selected by the state for funding. Today, we’re helping to recruit and educate tomorrow’s leaders in the STEM fields. 7 The Alumni Magazine for the Stewart School of ISyE • Fall 2011
Page 1 and 2: FALL 2011 Taking Georgia Tech from
Page 3 and 4: The Industrial & Systems Engineerin
Page 5 and 6: Ammons Named New Chair of Stewart S
Page 7: Taking Georgia Tech from Excellence
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Page 13 and 14: Alumni Perspective Bill George on A
Page 15 and 16: 13 Advanced Manufacturing at ISyE W
Page 17 and 18: Leon McGinnis is bringing the power
Page 19 and 20: The second step requires using this
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Page 35 and 36: FACULT Y NEWS George Nemhauser, A.
Page 37 and 38: J. Chris Gaffney, IE 1985, MS 1986,
Page 39 and 40: Stay connected to ISyE Hear about t

Fall 2011 - H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems ...

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